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Fuel me once

MORE than half the world's oil supply is used for transport, and three-quarters of the energy used in transport is spent on the road, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency (IEA). But without new policies to spur efficiency, the amount of fuel used for road transport will double by 2050, with severe implications for carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions. Most of the technologies needed to improve fuel economy are already available and cost-effective, so what is needed are policies that steer businesses and consumers in the right direction. Fuel taxes, CO2-based vehicle taxes, fuel-economy standards and better product labelling are the four key policies recommended by the IEA. To judge the extent to which countries have adopted these, the IEA has created a fuel-economy readiness index (see map). Most rich countries, especially in Europe and Japan, already have the right policies in place, whereas in North America there is still room for improvement. The worst offenders are major oil-producing countries like Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, which encourage wasteful fuel use through subsidies.

The largest regularly-used civilian vehicle fleet in the world is the US Postal Fleet.
Because of the constant stop and go on delivery routes to every single mailbox every day, the average fuel economy for these vehicles is worst than the gas hog Hummer at 3mpg!
The US Post Office is going broke in part to exorbitant fuel costs...simple arithmetic.
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If the US Post Office were to switch to current technology hybrid Toyota Priuses which are geared for city stop and go driving averaging over 50 mpg =>
THEN, fuel efficiency would increase 15 fold.
No miracle or scientific breakthrough needed.
And these vehicles are the most reliable on the road today.
Now multiply that by a daily fleet of 225,000.
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This simple solution would be the single most effective oil conservation plan in the history of industrialization.
It would also in one blow salvage the US Mail System, keep it sustainable for generations, save the employee's retirement fund, and keep the costs of postage down.
...But the Prius is not American made and there are Southern Senators who would rather have Hummers deliver the mail. And send billions of dollars everyday to Saudi Arabia.

Isn't a bike and a trailer an even better idea? Should cut down on health costs as well. Generally in the UK the post is taken to a central point and then delivered by foot. Housing density is greater in the UK so I can see a bike would possibly be nbecessary in the US.

As usual, the fact that the countries lagging behind are less populated, and therefore more dependant on cars, and cars with larger engines which are actually more efficient over longer distances appears to be overlooked. Electric cars etc aren't that practical in countries where there are long stretches of nothingness.

This sort of thing is far easier for Europe and Japan than anywhere else.

The argument is clear and easy to understand, not necessarily must be US Post or Toyota Prius, but whatever fleet of vehicles (private owners queuing in rush hours too), burning a lot of oil and paying an overcost that could be saved for other purposes, like the commenter exemplifies.
The common sense applies when things can be made easiest. The problem is the opposite vector: the interests of Mr. Money!

In Brazil we discuss a lot of Bio-ethanol from sugar cane as policy to reduce the CO2 emission and costs. As I understood from the report I didn´t see any comments regarding this topic.

We can check technology developed and high investments from automotive industries, such as FlexStat (Robert Bosch) and FlexFuel (Robert Bosch and Mageneti Marelli), for Bio ethanol but the report didn´t talk any word about it.

With every economy in world advocating increase production whether in automobile industries or any other most which are large consumers of oil as energy source ,I don't how we get back the genie in the bottle . The oil producing country is all about maximizing output hence increasing the revenue ,to provide for their citizenry. Socially every person want to own a car/vehicle .This is life the attendant peril which come with modern conveniences. We all knock primitive lifestyle but frank on the facing it the most sustainable lifestyle around. All of these energy policies been draft are just for academic purpose no one will take them seriously,not America for that matter.